5 things to watch in the Chicago Bears-New Orleans Saints game — plus our Week 9 predictions
The Chicago Bears look to beat the New Orleans Saints at the Superdome for the first time since 1991 when the teams meet Sunday afternoon.
Bears players have tried to focus on that task amid a tumultuous week at Halas Hall that included the firing of running backs coach David Walker. As kickoff approaches, here’s our snapshot look at the game.
Player in the spotlight
Bears coach Matt Eberflus and defensive line coach Travis Smith both indicated Sweat would be ready to play in the game after just two days of practice with the Bears. But how much Sweat plays after the Bears acquired him from the Washington Commanders for a second-round pick Tuesday remains a question.
Sweat on Saturday agreed to a four-year, $98 million extension with the Bears. Smith called the new addition a “huge presence” and “a big, long, physical, disruptive athlete.”
Given that the Bears have just 10 sacks this season, Smith obviously likes the boost Sweat should provide for the Bears pass rush. Sweat joins the Bears with 35 ½ career sacks and 6 ½ sacks this season. But Smith is excited about more than that.
“He’s obviously very disruptive,” Smith said. “We’re looking here to add to help us in the pass rush. But also what I love about him too is he’s a dominant run defender. We’re top of the league in yards per carry (with 3.26 yards allowed). That’s something that’s not going to change with him.”
Smith said he believed Sweat would be ready to play Sunday as the Bears get ready to face quarterback Derek Carr. In his first season with Saints, Carr has completed 182 of 282 passes for 1,910 yards, eight touchdowns, four interceptions and an 87.6 passer rating. He has been sacked 19 times.
“It’s not like it’s the offseason where these guys have been not reporting, at home all day or working out on their own and they come in and you have to catch them up,” Smith said of Sweat getting ready. “He’s been playing football. He’s in football shape. That’s No. 1.”
After that, Smith needed to get Sweat ready to play within the Bears defense. Smith worked under Commanders defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio when both were with the Raiders, so he said he’s able to help translate some of the terminology to help Sweat adjust more quickly. They had several meetings and Smith said Sweat took plenty of reps.
“He’ll be ready to go for the game,” Smith said.
Pressing question
How will Tyson Bagent handle playing in the Superdome in what is likely to be his third start?
The Bears listed starter Justin Fields as doubtful to play in the game as he continues his recovery from a right thumb injury.
So undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent, expected to make his third career start in place of Fields, obviously faces a major challenge in the hostile environment of the Superdome against a highly ranked Saints defense.
The Saints were widely regarded to have one of the easiest schedules entering the season, and their defense certainly has capitalized, allowing just 296.4 yards per game, ranked fifth in the NFL. They have the second-best third-down defense, allowing opponents to convert at a 32.4% rate. And they have nine interceptions this season, tied for fourth best in the NFL, grabbed by eight different players.
“They are a veteran group,” Bagent said. “They’ve been together for a long time. … Everybody is where they’re supposed to be and they’re sound in what they do.”
Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy called Bagent’s last start — a 30-13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers — a “really good experience.” Bagent completed 25 of 37 passes for 232 yards, no touchdowns, two interceptions and a 62 passer rating. Bagent said his takeaway was that he needs to continue to “home in on the weekly process.”
“Just getting everything completely nailed down,” Bagent said. “And once you get out onto the field, just being able to read and react and just trust what you see and go through your progressions. And value the ball above all else.”
Keep an eye on…
Middle linebacker Tremaine Edmunds will be out Sunday after missing practice all week with a knee injury suffered against the Chargers.
That leaves second-year linebacker Jack Sanborn to re-assume the role he played quite a bit last season.
After the Bears brought in Edmunds and T.J. Edwards, Sanborn moved to strong-side linebacker. He has played 39% of Bears defensive snaps this season, according to Pro Football Reference, and has 38 tackles, two tackles for a loss, an interception and a pass defended.
Sanborn said playing without Edmunds is a “huge” loss, but he’s confident in what he can provide.
“I’m not really worried,” Sanborn said. “I’ve done it before, did it last year and I’d been doing it through all of camp. And so, I feel very comfortable there, and I’m excited to go in there and play with those guys.”
Sanborn will have to help the Bears defense slow a Saints offense averaging 349.1 yards per game, ranked 12th in the NFL. Alvin Kamara leads the Saints rushing attack with 86 carries for 320 yards and two touchdowns in five games and also has 39 catches for 228 yards.
“Obviously a great player, has been doing it a long time,” Sanborn said. “Not only running the ball but also catching the ball out of the backfield. He’s one of the best weapons out of the backfield in the game, so definitely a point of emphasis.”
Wide receiver Chris Olave leads the Saints with 44 catches for 517 yards and a touchdown.
Charging ahead
Despite the firing of Walker, Bears running backs said they remain focused on their task against the Saints after totaling just 73 rushing yards against the Chargers. D’Onta Foreman talked about physicality, endurance and execution as keys to getting the Bears run game going.
“That’s a big focal point of our game and what helps us go,” Foreman said. “I think when we can be balanced and we can spread the ball around, that’s when we’re most effective. So it’s definitely something that’s going to be big for us.”
Foreman had nine carries for 34 yards in Week 8, and Roschon Johnson, in his first game back from a concussion, had six carries for 21 yards. Johnson said it felt good to “just to kind of get my feet wet again” after the rookie missed two games with the injury.
“Obviously it’s hard to just hit full stride, especially with an injury like that, with the rest I had to take off,” Johnson said. “At the same time, once you’re back, you’re back. So I’m ready to roll.”
Injury report
The Bears ruled out Edmunds, safety Jaquan Brisker (concussion), right guard Nate Davis (ankle) and cornerback Terell Smith (mononucleosis).
The Bears activated left tackle Braxton Jones off injured reserve Saturday, paving the way for his return from a six-game absence because of a neck injury. Larry Borom filled in while Jones was out.
Eberflus said he expects safety Eddie Jackson to start after Jackson was active but didn’t play against the Chargers.
For the Saints, linebacker Ty Summers (hamstring/concussion) was ruled out. Running back Kendre Miller and defensive tackle Malcolm Roach are both questionable because of illness.
Predictions
Brad Biggs (4-4)
This would have the potential to be a different game at Soldier Field, but in the noisy Superdome and with inexperienced quarterback Tyson Bagent, it strikes me as a bad matchup for the Bears. The Saints have done a terrific job of battling Father Time on defense with some aging stars in Cameron Jordan, Demario Davis and Tyrann Mathieu, all former Pro Bowl performers. Maybe the Saints would be a different animal later in the season when older players potentially could wear down, but this looks like the wrong opponent in the wrong stadium this week, a place in which the Bears have lost six consecutive games, including postseason.
Saints 24, Bears 10
Colleen Kane (4-4)
On paper, this seems like a tough matchup for undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent against a highly ranked defense in a tough road environment. The 4-4 Saints haven’t played a really difficult schedule, so that should be considered. But given the Bears’ struggles to get going against the Chargers and some key mistakes by Bagent in that game, I don’t know that this week will be any easier against a Saints defense that has 13 takeaways, including nine interceptions. A Bears defense that got picked apart by Justin Herbert last week will have to buckle down, but it will be playing without key starters Tremaine Edmunds and Jaquan Brisker. All of that looks like it will add up to another loss at the Superdome.
Saints 24, Bears 21
Dan Wiederer (5-3)
On the surface, the Saints just really aren’t that good, another one of those middle-tier NFL teams trying to find momentum. But the Packers aren’t all that good either. And the Buccaneers aren’t all that good. And the Broncos and Vikings and Chargers aren’t really all that good. So yeah, unfortunately the Bears are still trying to find their way up to that “not that good” level. With the key injuries on defense and a tough environment for a rookie quarterback, the Bears will stumble again.
Saints 27, Bears 17
